Automatic fire escape



H. VIEREGG.

AUTOMATIC FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-29. 192i- 1 ,%38,880. Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

' 23 v v 17511901 F719, 2.

IN VEN TOR Have 1456566 Patented Dec. 12, lhZZ.

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AU'lOIlI'ATIC FIRE ESCAPE.

Application filed" November To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, HENRY VImnioc, a citizen or the United States, and a resident of Grand island, in thecounty of Hall and tltate of Nebraska, have invented a new linprovet Automatic Fire'Escape, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to anautomatic fire escape, and has for an objectthe provision oi ineanswhereby in escaping from a fire a person need merely attach the device to some suitable support and then grip arope, whereupon his weight effectively operates the device, at the same time causing a regulation of the speed of movement of the rope to prevent his speed oi descent from being too great.

Another object resides in the PIOVlSlOD of ren ri'higally operated braking means wherebv the resistance offered to the movement of the rope is dependent upon the weight applied to the rope. A further object resides in the particular construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The invention is illustrated in the drawof which-- Figure 1 is a front view of the devlce.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 is section taken on the line 3-3 of i 1.

ihs S llO'Wn in the drawings, the preferred form of my invention comprises a casing formed of spaced plates 1 and 2 having lanp'cs such as 3 and i connected by any ut/lib): malt such a; screw 5 and. its 6.

. W I i A threaded shait t 1S ournaied in any suitable manner between the walls of this casing and within the casing supports a pulley.

8. This pulley is provided with tapered 'nner walls, as shown particularly in Fig. 3, on which are disposed a plurality of spaced ribs 9 which act as means for clamp ing or irictionally gripping a rope or other load-carrying means disposed to pass over the pulley. One end of this shaft, as 10 projects beyond the casing and is provided with a slot 11 through which a plate 12 passes. The plate is fastened in position by means of a pin 13 which passes through the shaft in the plate. This plate 12 extends above and below the shaft and lies adjacent Face of the casing. At each end of the suitable material, which are connected by a linlr to the plate l2. The connection between the weights let and the plate is pivot connection, such a pivot screw 16. The connection or link 15 joining each weight with the plate is bent, and on its inner end adjacent the w ll oi the casing is 'irovided with a friction surface such as 1?? whichmay be made of any suitable friction material such as h r, leather or fabric. As the shaft es, especially when the casing is disposed in a vertical position, the select or git ,gi-v and centrifugal force on the lower weight will be to press the friction surface 17 rather lirinly against the wall of the casingas the weight is moving in the lower hall of its rotation; whereas, the force oi gravity and'the centri'fugal force will tend to oppose each other when the weight is in the upper portion ct tion oi resistance to theinovei t of the shaft on the part of this centliiugal controller which will regulate the speed at which the shaft can move. Gt course, the heavier the weight on the rope, the faster the shaft will tend to more, and, consequently, the same resistance will be offered to its movement by the controller. The bottom of the casing beneath the pulley is open and from this portion oi the extends downwardly a plate 18. On this plate are disposed a plurality or" spaced bars or pins 1 and a plurality of pairs of curved clamping plates 20. As the rope passes over the pullley, it is alternately disposed between the clmnpiii plan 20 and than [itptlflittl by the spacer or pins ill. lie the strands 21 of the rope pass between the sets of clamping plates they are naturally subject to considerably more friction than would nor mally be the case, and this tendency aids in the regulation oi? the speed of the rope. Furthermore, as the rope passes around the pins 19 and between the plates 20, it is disposed in a curved manner so that as the weight subjects the rope to a certain stress, the friction produced. be3ween the rope and the pins and plates will be roughly proportional to the weight and, therefore these be prowith ill"! .74

The upper end of the casing vided in any suitable manner J-MAJAJ llnuml no -I-,\ rim 

